Conventionally, image scanners have been a peripheral apparatus for a computer. Though the computer may be attached to the network, the scanner usually is not. Therefore, to use the scanner in a networked environment, the person wishing to use the scanner must also use the computer. Where scanning is a common practice, this arrangement works well. However, where people scan infrequently, the increased difficulty of using an unfamiliar computer coupled with the difficulty of scanning itself makes the process unwieldy.
In this scenario, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a network scanner 10 is connected to a local area network through a personal computer 14. At the scanning device 10, the user inputs the destination to which the image is to be uploaded. Typically, this is another personal computer 16 connected to the local area network. Thereafter, the network scanner 10 pushes the image data to the desired location.
Recently, digital copiers, wherein the digital copier comprises a scanner, a printer, and a computer to control the scanner and printer, have replaced many of the older analog copiers, wherein the analog copiers use optics to create a xerographic image on a single piece of paper. Because digital copiers contain a printer, the digital copiers are often connected directly to the network to create a multi-function device. The multi-function device serves as a network printer, a walk-up copier, and network scanner. The advent of the multi-function device has made network scanners relatively common in situations where scanning is an infrequent activity.
The most common approach to providing network scanning, particularly on a scanner associated with a multi-function device, is to have the user provide the device with information, often the user's email address, which allows the multi-function device to send the electronic document created by the scanner to a location where the user can retrieve it. Infrequent scan users often forget what information the system needs and how to give the system the information.
Another conventional system for network scanning involves printing a cover sheet that contains the information the networked scanner needs to deliver the scanned document. The user creates such a sheet by accessing a server and providing the necessary information. This step is relatively easy because the user accesses the server from their own, familiar computer. The cover sheet is scanned with the document and the system reads the information from the sheet. This conventional system is an improvement over users providing the information to the system each time the user scans a document, because the necessary information is contained in a physical form obviating the need for the user to remember the information.
The various conventional systems discussed above use a push model in which the device delivers the documents to the user. This model requires the user to designate the destination of the image data. Such designation information may not always be available to the user at the time of scanning. Even if the information is available to the user, users may not know how to specify the information to the device.
In an example of a conventional pull model in which the device stores the electronic documents for later retrieval by the user, a network scanner may include “mailboxes” associated with the device. In this example, the system requires users to specify a “mail box” into which the files are stored and then the file may be named with a cryptic string composed from data associated with the date and time of scanning. Users retrieve the data from the “mailbox” by accessing it from their personal computer
In such a system, a user chooses from the set of mailboxes, the one the user wants the electronic file to be placed in. Some mailboxes may allow unlimited access, thereby allowing anyone to access the file; while other mailboxes may have limited access, thereby providing some type of security as to who is allowed to access the file. This allows the mailboxes to be assigned to specific users so that the users can select passwords for the mailboxes to limit the people who can access the files.
However, this system still encounters problems. For example, users must know the allocation of the mailboxes to users before scanning. Limiting the number of locations simplifies task of routing the information. Unfortunately, limiting the number of locations also limits the flexibility of the system; only a fixed number of people can have secure mail boxes. Moreover, increasing the number of mailboxes so as to increase flexibility does not resolve the problem because the increase in the number of mailboxes makes it more difficult to specify the correct mailbox.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a network scanning system that increases access flexibility as well as security for all users.
Furthermore, it is desirable to provide flexibility and security through a network scanning system associated with a repository to enable the capture of scanned documents which can be later downloaded through a user's workstation or other network accessible device using a conventional browser.
Moreover, it is desirable to provide a network scanning system that avoids having the users provide routing information to the device, but which stores the document and provides users with information that allows the user to download the data.
Lastly, it is desirable to provide a network scanning system that provides a scanning workflow that is similar to the conventional copy workflow wherein the user inserts the document and the device leaves the resulting electronic copy in an electronic “output tray.” The electronic “output tray” represents the electronic location of the scanned document, such as memory location or address within an electronic repository.
A method of generating an electronic image of a document for later retrieval through a network connection scans a document to generate an electronic image thereof; stores the electronic image at a system designated location; and provides information to a user scanning the document, the information relating to the system designated location.
A system for generating an electronic image of a document for later retrieval through a network connection includes a network accessible scanning device to enable scanning of a document to generate an electronic image thereof and an electronic repository to electronically store the electronic image. The electronic repository designates an electronic address for the stored electronic image and communicates the electronic address to the network accessible scanning device. The network accessible scanning device provides information to a user scanning the document. The information relates to the electronic repository designated address.